This invention relates to a bed having siderails thereon and, more particularly, at least a pair of siderails on one side of the bed that overlap at the mutually adjacent ends thereof so that no gap exists between them in all positions of relative movement therebetween and while maintaining a generally uniform thickness between the head end of the siderails and the foot end thereof.
In the field of beds configured for use in patient care environments, it is important to provide a safety siderail feature to prevent accidental exit from the bed as well as preventing unauthorized bed exit by the patient. It is also important to prevent the patient occupying the bed from becoming entrapped by the structure of the siderail configuration during its use and during movement of the relatively movable components of the bed. Various designs have been created for closing the gap between the head end siderail and the foot end siderail. However, the componentry known to date is expensive to provide and oftentimes is not aesthetically pleasing. It is desirable to provide a less expensive, safe and aesthetically pleasing siderail configuration for a patient care bed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a head end and foot end siderail configuration for a patient care bed that are of a light weight construction, aesthetically pleasing and are very durable and safe in use.
It is a further object of the invention to provide head end and foot end siderails, as aforesaid, having a uniform thickness from the head end to the foot end of the entire configuration.
It is a further object of the invention to provide head end and foot end siderails, as aforesaid, wherein a region of reduced thickness is provided on both of the head end and foot end siderails at the mutually adjacent ends thereof, which regions of reduced thickness are overlapping and oriented in a side-by-side relation so that there exists no gap between the two siderail components.
The objects and purposes of the invention are met by providing a frame having a head end and a foot end as well as a support deck mounted on the frame. The support deck has a head end section and a seat section, the head end section being: supported for movement relative to the seat section and between a horizontally aligned position and an upright position inclined relative to the horizontally aligned position. At least one pair of siderails are provided on one side of the bed, each one of the pair having a generally uniform thickness over a majority of a length thereof and extend in a plane that is generally parallel to a plane containing a central longitudinal axis of the bed. First and second ones of the pair of siderails each have a head end and a foot end, the foot end of the first one having a first region of reduced thickness on a first side thereof facing in a first direction, the head end of the second one having a second region of reduced thickness on a second side thereof facing in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The first and second regions are oriented in an overlapping side-by-side relation so that there exists no gap between the first and second ones of the pair and the thickness at the overlapping location conforming to the aforesaid uniform thickness.